Papillon

Henri Charrière's phenomenal memoir is a true story of prison breaks and epic adventure in the penal islands of French Guiana. Translated and introduced by Patrick O'Brian. Condemned for a murder he had not committed, Henri Charrière (nicknamed Papillon) was sent to the penal colony of French Guiana. Forty-two days after his arrival he made his first break, travelling a thousand gruelling miles in an open boat. Recaptured, he went into solitary confinement and was sent eventually to Devil's Island, a hell-hole of disease and brutality. No one had ever escaped from this notorious prison - that is, until Papillon took to the shark-infested sea supported only by a makeshift coconut-sack raft. In thirteen years he made nine astonishing escapes, living through many fantastic adventures while on the run. A real life 'Count of Monte Cristo' tale, 'Papillon' is overflowing with tension, adventure and high excitement. It is also one of the most vivid stories of human endurance ever written. First published in the 1960s, and never out of print since, 'Papillon' is a true phenomenon which riled politicians and thrilled the world.